Monday, 22 June 2015

Giving up the black stuff update!

Giving up the fizzies update!



If your new here, or don't know about my little journey to quite fizzy drinks, especially Diet Coke and Pepsi, click here for the first post! 

So it has been two weeks (June 9th) since I gave up all fizzy drinks, but with specific emphasis on Coke and Pepsi as they are…were all I drank.

So to recap, I was drinking at least a litre of Diet Coke or Pepsi a day, besides the obvious issues with drinking fizzy drinks-teeth damage and all the chemicals, I was getting heart burn on top of that, and so I knew than I had to stop… cold turkey! 
My aim is a month then continue on from there.

So I’m two weeks in and doing well, they first few days were difficult, I had some headaches and there was a can of diet coke in the fridge screaming to me, so I made my brother down it so it was gone!

It can be difficult for me to stop all the time because I don’t drink alcohol, and so sometimes water just doesn’t cut it, so I had one can of 7up at a restaurant and yesterday I had two glasses of 7up in my grannies.


Otherwise I’m finding it easy to stay away from the black stuff in shops, I buy 0% sugar free apple and pear dilute and keep it in the fridge with a jug of water and just have that instead! I find it in Tesco and it's been on offer for a awhile now! Highly recommend it! 


This is the range of 0% sugar!


I also tried to make iced tea from a Pinterest post I found, but it was unsweetened and unfortunately it just tasted like cold tea and not like the store bought bottles! I am going to try it again with lemons and if that works out I'll write a post about it! You can follow me on PINTEREST if you want :) 


i used Lipton tea and cinnamon teabags!

I'll do another update at thirty days!

Thanks for reading!

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Saturday, 20 June 2015

Luxury at BrookLodge Hotel and Spa,Wicklow

Macreddin Village,BrookLodge and Wells Spa





 A yearly treat for myself and friends is an overnight trip to BrookLodge luxury hotel in county Wicklow. It’s just approximately one hour and thirty minutes from where I live in North Dublin on the motorway then onto some country roads, where satnav is needed as with all older Irish roads, the signage can disappear for large chunks of the road, but we always make it there, and the landscape on the drive up is beautifully breath taking, and always so lush and green! 
Every time we come and go, we are also reminded why tourists love coming to Ireland!

    So this year there were three sharing a room, one double and a single, we were lucky to get a fantastic deal, one night bed and breakfast, and hour treatment and a three course meal for their Italian restaurant La Taverna Armento. All deals can be found on their Website, or do what we do every year and email them directly.

So on June 7th we packed up the car, grabbed some snacks for the trip, got the playlist sorted and headed off, we were fortunate enough to be arriving on a Sunday with a Macreddin village market on, we arrived to a busy atmosphere of shoppers and food taster, parked up the car and browsed through the home-made goods that were on offer, there was a mix of fresh fruit and vegetables, a smoothie/juice stand, home-made jams, sauces and pickles. I bought a delicious raspberry jam.



Within Macreddin village there is a pub called Actons, the famous Strawberry Tree restaurant, and our personal favourite, the Italian restaurant Armento. We sat outside the Actons with live jazz music playing and sipped on diet coke, and had roasted hog baps with freshly roasted potato salad.



 We checked in then and got ourselves ready for the spa and our treatment, each person had a bathrobe,slippers and some beautiful hair and body products. 


We each chose to have the Decleor aromatherapy facial, and luckily they could have us all at the same time, the facial was fantastic, the girls were highly professional and welcoming, the products are luxurious and we really felt pampered, not too often do you feel that.
 Afterwards we were given a smoothies and shown to the relaxation room that played soft calming music on the most comfortable “deck style chairs.”

 We then made our way into the pool area, here they have also a jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and aromatherapy room, as well as an outside hot tub, which much to our disappointment was closed for maintenance.  The pool area is half in a conservatory and also has a section as a hydrotherapy pool.  After a quick dip in the pool, we sat in the Jacuzzi then sweated any toxins out in the aromatherapy sauna room, my first time experiencing something like that, and it was refreshing.

  Our reservation for Armento was 8pm and so with three girls to get ready we headed to the room, now to only two small criticisms of the hotel, there isn’t enough plug sockets… in fact there is one socket, not really convenient for even a couple sharing a room, but we had to manage, and the second, the showers are slightly older and so the ease of controlling temperature can be difficult and we had to have maintenance up to adjust the shower for us.

The food in Armento is always delicious and vibrant, and getting such high quality, flavourful food at thirty -five euro a head is fantastic. For starter I had baked prawns, for the main course I had pizza which you can choose from a selection of toppings, I had prosciutto, goat’s cheese, olives and red onions, and for dessert I had my favourite, tiramisu! Always a treat!







At the back of the hotel there is now a fire pit with benches surrounding, and we sat there until 11.30pm and chatted in the summer heat aided by the fire, it was delightful.

Then headed back to the rooms, I always feel like the hotel is quiet and peaceful nestled in the Wicklow mountains, the beds are comfy and the duvet is heavy and warm. I usually have a good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed for the breakfast that awaits us.

The breakfast is continental style with cooked breakfast to order too, they have a selection of cereal juices, and pastries. Two of us chose the full Irish for breakfast, one of the girls got scrambled eggs which are from the free-range chickens running loose on the land. (you can see them in the picture above)
Everything is tasty and well presented.



Check out is 12 I believe so we packed up and cruised on home, relaxed and refreshed and ready to get back to the grind!

See you next year Brooklodge!

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Bread and Bones Restaurant Dublin



  

Friday, 19 June 2015

My trip to Bread and Bones, Millennium Walk, Dublin

Bread and Bones

“Dublin’s answer to bao, banh-mi and bone broths – Bread & Bones is all about good food. Fast. Serving up Asian dishes in an energetic setting – big flavours, loud music, deep pint glasses, quality times.” breadandbones website

The other day I won a competition from a lovely blogger @icome_undone on Twitter for a free meal to Bread and Bones, a place I wanted to go to, but hadn’t made it there yet, and so was very grateful to win!

  So yesterday I decided to go with a friend of mine in the afternoon, although it was recommended that we come in the evening for the live music and vibrant atmosphere, it just didn’t suit on this occasion, but truly, I think this location would be fantastic for group parties and occasions.

So on arrival the nice man, Jack, I had been emailing regarding the prize welcomed us, let us know what we had won, two starters, two mains and two desserts and soft drinks!(what a prize!!)

What to choose!! 

He gave us his recommendations then left us to decide. Since it was a free meal in the nicest possible meaning of that, I decided to try some different food I hadn’t ever tasted before.

For the starter or “bits” I had Kimchi fries…Yum, these were crispy skin-on fries with garlic mayo and pickled cabbage- sounds odd… tasted amazing! 




 My friend with me is a coeliac and I must say they had a huge selection for her to choose from, she had the chicken wings, they were also delicious as I had to taste them for “review purposes” :P they were so tasty and the portion was very generous for a starter!


Needless to say our appetites were wetted and we waited eagerly for the main course!

I chose the steamed buns or BAO! Which is literally three steamed buns with whatever filling you pick, I must say that when it arrived it looked beautiful, albeit different to what I expected, truthfully I didn't know what to expect! I picked the pork belly on recommendation, and it was fantastic. The presentation as you can see what also beautiful.




My friend got the rice noodle soup, they are all gluten free and they are presented in large white bowls with steam rolling out of them, she chose the spicy seafood one, and WOW when it arrived, loads of meat, large prawns and plenty of noodles and broth! I will be getting the noodle soup on my next visit! It looked hearty and filling, and she said it tasted divine!



So with full bellies but a sweet tooth, the dessert menus were produced and of course as a chocolate lover I had the brownie which came with a choice of Murphy’s Ice Cream which can be found on Wicklow Street, ice cream with sea salt, brown bread ice cream and coffee ice-cream.
I chose brown bread! Note: the brownie was also Gluten free (put it on the menu please) the brownie was maybe the best brownie I’ve ever had… bold statement, it was pure indulgence and with the ice-cream! A dream!




My friend had the Pineapple Mess! Looked delicious, I did taste the pineapple, and we felt that whatever spices it was roasted with took away the flavour slightly, but overall it was delicious!



So I mean not much of a conclusion is needed... I will be back! The staff were very friendly and welcoming, the surrounding were different yet comfortable. The food was flavourful, and something different to have among the Italian restaurants that surround it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

I’m not a drinker, but I did notice they had a good selection of craft beer too, which for some is a great bonus! And after 7pm they have live music! 

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Why not read my review on the BrookLodge Hotel Wicklow 


Friday, 5 June 2015

Addicted to the fizzy stuff.. and the beginnings of quitting

… Coca Cola Pepsi Max addict here! 


I hope everyone knows this reference! 


Tell me why certain sparkling beverages are addictive? Wherever you are from, whatever you call them… soda, fizzy pop, minerals they are everywhere, and we all have our poison, me? I love the black stuff! I love Diet Coke, Pepsi Max and I’ll go as far as saying I really do like the cheaper versions I can get in Aldi and Lidl, as the song goes.. “I just can’t get enough!!”                                   

I know its all bad for you, but the amount I do drink, I have taken to drinking the diet ones as they don't have the extra calories.. and I just prefer them now! 

Clearly.. way more healthy! HA HA


That crisp sting as it passes your lips and hits your tongue, its freezing from the fridge, that k-tizzz of the can opening (that sounds dangerously like an alcoholic). I’m just in love, but, and the major but..  I know it’s bad for me, I know it bloats my stomach and my face, and gives me acid tummy, and rots my teeth and makes my skin dull and break out!                                                                  

So WHY do I keep going back to its tasty amazingness?

I’ve decided to go on a quest to see what are the reasons for craving fizzy drinks, and I’ve also decided to give them up and do a little documentation on my way, I have done it a few times before, and honestly I gave up the black stuff for Lent this year, but began drinking Club Orange, so it has to be all fizzy drinks this time!! And clearly I started drinking Coke and Pepsi again!

Why do I crave Fizzies?  
After some research on multiple sites, but not being able to find the original source, if I do I will link it here… it has come to my attention that craving fizzy drinks is being linked to a calcium deficiency, who knew? 
And also a lack of magnesium, which I had heard before. So maybe this is why I crave the coke so much, my body is needing minerals it’s not getting from my diet,

How does drinking coke give me calcium … the answer is a little crazy, it is known that fizzy drinks leech calcium from your teeth, and in doing this that calcium is passing into your stomach to be reabsorbed when needed! Our bodies are magical things!
Detox Time
So it is time for a detox and get myself back into drinking water, which I also love, clearly not as much though! 

I’m writing this with acid reflux and a can of Pepsi in my hand, no joke, I can drink four or more cans of coke a day and they are the larger value ones! So maybe about a litre and a half a day! Yeeesh!!

So next Tuesday the 9th of June (never start anything on a Monday), I am going on my official detox and quitting the black stuff, and the orange stuff… and only if I’m very stuck I will drink diet 7up! I’m going to document my skin’s improvement and maybe the roundness of my face! :P  Also my general health and how I feel, I will also try to increase my intake of both calcium and magnesium and report back how I’m doing!


I know it’s difficult at the start, I know the headaches come, and having it everywhere and when meeting friends it’s hard as they drink it quite often, but I have done it before, and know I need to do it again!

My Aim
My aim is to maintain the no fizzy drinks for good, but my initial goal is thirty days, they say a habit is broken after twenty-one days, so I might as well go the few extra for a round month!
-Right now I am preparing by flooding myself with Pepsi and Coke to make it "extra easy" for me to stop!! and mentally preparing to grieve the loss of a something so divine in my life!! :P 
Wish me luck!

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Tuesday, 2 June 2015

All About the Brow

  

 I’m no make-up artist or beauty queen, but I do appreciate a good eye brow, on myself and others, and I also can see a rotten job a mile away and wonder… do you see yourself? Haha



  I’m very much, live and let live in any aspect of life, but the brow game is nearly more important than your hair these days! I envy so many women with fabulous full brows and although we are told often “eyebrows are sisters not twins” my “sisters” are bloody thin, sparse and like a see-saw, I think I look bemused half the time!! ... writing that makes me chuckle because I sound fickle, but when your brow game is strong, I feel like you can take over the world…

Cue the make-up products, dying, waxing, threading and plucking.

I think I’ve tried a lot of products and “procedures” on my brows to try get them “on fleek” 
And so why not chat about them and see what I like and my thoughts.

I firstly began with tweezing, of course on my own as there’s no way I’d pay someone to do that, I used to love getting a friend to do them for me, and for the most part I was always happy with them.

Then I discovered the HD Brow, between E35-E50 a go, and at the beginning I loved them, they do last well, the dye does give them a fuller look, and the combination of waxing and threading does make your make-up sit better.
But I found that the girls doing them, didn’t ask any questions about colour or shape, then just went about it, even if I began to discuss what I’d like, as I said I have one higher arched brow then the other. 
They also didn’t brush away the lifted hairs from my face, and often had to go to the bathroom after to pick the hairs off my face. That may seem picky, but they let me walk away with hairs over my forehead and cheeks!

So after having a convo with myself, I decided that that wasn’t for me, and wandering around a chemist one day I saw a D.I.Y dying kit on sale, and decided I’ll do them myself and I have ever since. The dye is easy and fairly quick and lasts five-six days and then if I’m bothered I do them again.

I wrote about my experience with eyebrow home dye here,there's more pictures here too!             Dying my eyebrows 

I won’t tidy my own brows anymore. I do enjoy getting that done, and I have discovered the best cheapest place to have them threaded… PENNEYS!!(Primark)

They do cheap clothes and cheap beauty, but I am always happy with the job they do, and at E7.00 I really couldn’t get a better bargain!
-The girls are always polite and careful and I always feel they take their time with each brow to enjoy the shapes and rogue hairs are removed. The only down side and to be honest not enough to deter me is that everyone and their granny can watch you being threaded as they pass through the shop.


Now to the one main  product I use on the brows. and one I use occasionally

Sleek Brow Kit

I have two shades of their palette depending if I want a natural look, or a slighter darker shade, usually for when I have dark hair or a dark eye make-up look, they come with a mini tweezers, and two brushes, they last for ages, and go on smoothly and frankly... quickly! I find the product never wears off and doesn't smudge, and could be considered a dupe for the benefit eyebrow compact.
The shades I have are
1: LIGHT 817
2:DARK 818  ...how original! :P 


Light Colour


Dark Colour

I have also used Primark/Penneys own brand eyebrow pencil, it cost me E1.50 and also works really well, I like to use it for the “tail” and use the powder at the start of the brow as its easier and looks a little more natural, I think using a pencil requires far more finesse that I don’t have!

I think I’ve actually only really used those products for my brows, a friend applied the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow pencil one day and that was amazing too. I’m just not big on spending loads for something I have a cheaper product and I’m happy with!

Thanks for reading :) 

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Saturday, 30 May 2015

Maximum Protection against Sweat

Rexona, Degree, Sure... Whichever you call it!

We can all be Sweaty Bettys this time of the year… actually all times of the year... if it’s not from the heat, it’s from wearing layers and layers of clothing during the winter to keep warm! 
And the inevitable sweat issue and the pong that comes later in the day can be an issue.

I’m all for au naturalle and if you wanna do that! More Power to You! 

So a friend of mine found the miracle and I’m here to pass it on...

Sure Maximum Protection  antiperspirant... it is the miracle you need in your life!!





It promises “maximum strength wetness protection” and “continuous odour protection” and I’ll tell you what, they weren’t lying – You’d swear I was being paid, but I fork out the E7.50 and when I can get it on offer stockpile this for the whole year!!

My armpits stay dry no matter how many layers I wear! And to be honest it lasts me 2 days if I don’t shower in between, but in truth even if I do shower and forget to use it, 
I feel like it still has residual effect! I can’t rave enough about this product.

It also is expert endorsed (who’s the expert? LOL) but it is dermatologically tested which is a bonus.

It comes in a few fragrances which I’ve tried all and they are all on even kilter, it lasts me maybe six-ten weeks... I never really measured the time. And this month’s one is Sensitive Dry... they all have normal deodorant smells, but again you’re not gonna sweat so the smell really means nothing!

The fragrances to choose from are:
  • Sensitive dry
  • Clean scent
  • Confidence


I recently (May 15) bought it in Dunnes Stores for E3.50 - getting a bargain is my dealio! :P

I give this deodorant 5/5

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Wednesday, 27 May 2015

"Ease" my "Frizzy" Hair..


 I’ve dyed my hair every colour under the sun from the age of fourteen, usually I dye it dark and decide shortly after I want it light again so I have to bleach it, and no matter was a stylist says, your hair will be damaged and so you have to go through the process of getting it back into good condition!
I can honestly say I’m lazy in the department. 
I just buy what’s on offer and hope for the best! But one range I always go back to for their serums is John Frieda's Frizz Ease… without a doubt I notice a difference in my hair quickly after beginning to use it again... Why do we stop using what we know works??
So this is the serum I purchased this time...



There are so many choices within the brand, but I chose the "Original" one because I could put it in my wet hair and it fights the frizz before the hairdryer gets to it. 
Its a clear gel the smooths into the hair easily and isn't sticky which is always nice!


Testing it Out
The first day I used it I used two pumps throughout my hair, the next day my hair was a little greasy but not terrible but I did notice an immediate improvement in my hair.

The second time I washed it I used one pump and throughout my hair again, the next day again my hair was a little slick, so

The third time I used it I used one pump and just on the lengths of my hair and a little bit further up on the fronts as they get most of the heat with the hairdryer and straighteners.

And Bingo, my hair stays much “cleaner” looking for longer. 

I always test how my hair is with the serums like that as some can turn your hair into a grease-ball and others not so much. 

With this serum I felt I could definitely do one pump throughout the hair for a night out if I was to put a lot of heat on it, otherwise just one put in wet hair at the ends and the front and I really have noticed a great difference in blow drying and over appearance in a short period of time. 

The tube looks like it will last me until autumn but I will continue to repurchase a serum within the Frizz Ease brand. 

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